on our broadcast tonight, damage control over birth control. after a big white house fumble and a firestorm, the president offers a compromise, but is it enough? what killed the cardinal? a day after he was cleared to testify in a priest scandal, there is a bigamist try tonight in philadelphia. outbreak. tonight the virus that's highly contagious, even after you're feeling better, and where people have come down with it so far. and making a difference on the home front. a war hero, his bride and a dream come true, just in time for valentine's day. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. the obama white house today tried to recover from a fumble. they veered into an area that had all the makings of a political firestorm in an election year. they were accused of waging war on religion, needlessly meddling in birth control. that's what some of their friends were saying. this started on january 20th, when the administration announced religious institutions would be required to offer free birth control to employees as a benefit of health care. the white house tried to end this today. we begin tonight with white house correspondent kristen welker. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this was a political stumble of the obama administration's own making. every day the headlines kept getting worse, and today the president himself tried to stop the bleeding. under fire from catholic bishops, republicans and some members of his own party, president obama today back

tracked on his contraception mandate. >> after the many genuine concerns raised over the past few weeks as well as, frankly, the cynical desire to make this into a political football. it claim clear spending months hammering out a solution was not going to be an option. >> reporter: three weeks ago they announced all religion lewisly institutions would have to cover contraception at no cost to their employees. today an about-face. >> religious organizations won't have to pay for these services, and no religious institution will have to provide these services directly. >> reporter: instead, the insurance companies providing coverage for those groups will be required to reach out to women directly and offer contraception coverage without charge. administration officials maintain the insurance companies will ultimately save money through preventive care. some republicans say the president missed the point. >> this is not about cost.

it's about faith principles those institutions hold dear. >> reporter: arch bishop timothy dolan one of the president's most outspoken critics this past week. >> that is a foul ball by any standard. >> reporter: released a statement that read, "today's decision to vides obtain services are morally objectionable to religious entities and people of faith is the first step in the right direction." supporters say it's case closed. >> i feel it was a total reaffirmation of his belief all women, regardless of where they work, deserve access to birth control without any deductible or any expensive co-pays. >> reporter: many catholic women were also cheering the news. >> it resolves the issue, it gives women the right to, the ability to get the contraception they need and gives the churches the ability to continue with their strong beliefs. >> reporter: republican candidates have been hammering the president on this issue for days, including today at a conservative conference here in d.c.

now the obama campaign is preparing to deal with this issue all what it to november. >> kristen welker starting us off from the white house. as you mentioned, it's no surprise this issue was front and center today at the conservative political action conference. today was the day the gathering heard from some of the big guns in the republican presidential race. our report from nbc's ron mott. >> great american, governor mitt romney. >> reporter: today in front of the hard line crowd at cpac, mitt romney tried to shake his image as a republican moderate with liberal use of the word "conservative." >> conservatives. that's who we aring conservatives. my path of conservatism. i know conservativism because i have lived conservativism. >> reporter: at least 23 mentions in all. a statement of romney's weakness among the far right, he explained his challenges and commitment to being a red governor in a blue state. >> i was a severely conservative

republican governor. on my watch we fought hard and prevented massachusetts from becoming the las vegas of gay marriage. >> reporter: while romney sold his conservative credentials inside -- outside a large group protested, arguing he sold out middle class workers in becoming wealthy. governor romney got perhaps his biggest applause defending his financial success, saying he is not ashamed. while the crowd certainly was polite, it's apparent he's got a high hurdle to clear. the support bar seemed to be set at a friendlier height for the surging rick santorum, who took direct aim at the president's health insurance mandate and then some. >> it's not about contraception. it's about economic liberty. it's about freedom of speech. it's about freedom of religion. it's about government control of your lives and it's got to stop. >> the next president of the united states, newt gingrich. >> reporter: newt gingrich started his speech following a

rare public speaking appearance by wife calista, warning of an anti-religious white house in a second obama term. >> if he wins re-election, he will wage war on the catholic church the morning after he is re-elected. we cannot trust him. >> reporter: according to the right on issues front and center to them. ron mott, nbc news, washington. we turn overseas to the deepening crisis in syria. today, bombs killed at least 28 people aleppo, which has been largely untouched by this violence until now. in homes under siege for days from mortar and artillery bombardment, there are reports of thousands of troops amassing for a ground assault perhaps as early as this weekend. tonight from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell, we have an unusual window into what's going on inside syria from an american who held out as long as he could. >> reporter: throughout the uprising and crackdown, ambassador robert ford has been

america's soft spoken but tough man in syria. last september he faced down an angry mob in damascus. now escalating violence forced a wrenching decision, closing the u.s. embassy. he talked about that today from paris. >> very frankly, it was very hard to take down the american flag for the last time from the american embassy. it is a symbol of our presence. it is a symbol of our engagement in a country like syria. >> reporter: ambassador, what are you seeing and hearing is going on in syria today? >> i spent a good part of the day looking at what's happening in syria. and the shelling again by syrian forces on residential areas in syria's third largest city homs is just absolutely awful. it's horrific. we want that government violence to stop before syria goes off a cliff. >> reporter: significantly, you have declassified and posted on your facebook page at least one satellite image of the artillery, the mortars showing

that this is an army up against a much less-armed civilian insurrection. >> the syrian government claims terrorists are shelling parts of homs are completely ridiculous. we know who is shelling homs. we know that. i do not want the syrian government to try through some propaganda scheme to fry to hide the truth. >> reporter: your message finally to the people in syria who must feel abandoned by the world. >> i hope they do not feel abandoned because the international community is coming together more and more. the government of syria needs to respect basic human rights, and it needs to allow a peaceful political transition to go forward. >> reporter: syria's president assad has been escalating his attacks since russia and china vetoed u.n. action against his regime. ambassador ford told me across syria, protestors marched saying, russia, you killed our

children. >> diplomats don't show anger often. this is a rare case. >> a brave man. >> thank you as always. we turn to greece, broke, struggling, to head off default, european neighbors offering a $170 billion bailout in return for more budget cuts, but the cuts that greece has already made are threatening to tear the country apart. today, protestors and strikers clashed again with riot police. greece has been living beyond its means for years, and now this proposed cure is causing real suffering. our report from nbc's keith miller. >> reporter: there are already signs of an economy in collapse. soup kitchens and bread lines are packed with people without jobs, and little hope of finding one. the prayers these days are for an economic miracle. leo is a painter of icons and at

the age of 64, he lost everything. >> you found myself on the street with few clothes, books and ten agricultures. >> reporter: greece like leo is bankrupt. for decades the country lived well, all on borrowed money. now greece is suffering under severe austerity measures imposed by its neighbors. >> this is greece's great depression. this is the meltdown that every colony dreads. >> reporter: demonstrations against the austerity measures all but turned violent. the basic fabric of life is unraveling. suicides are up 40%. homicide and violent crimes up almost 100%. cuts in social services so deep, it is making the greek sick, literally. this doctor has seen a number of patients visiting this charity clinic quadruple in less than a year. >> we are afraid this

humanitarian crisis can develop a human catastrophe. >> reporter: to pay down debt they cut salaries to 40% and increase sales tax to 23%. a gallon of gasoline now costs almost $10. now the government is going after tax evaders by targeting the rich. they've imposed a 30% luxury tax on sports cars and yachts. the words "tragedy" and "economy" are greek in origin, but the ancients never imagined these words together would define greece's modern-day crisis. keith miller, nbc news, athens. back in this country tonight, in philadelphia, a down-right bizarre twist in the investigation into child abuse in the catholic archdiocese and this involves a well-known name in the church. nbc's ann thompson with us tonight with more on this story. >> reporter: brian, it's worthy of a john grisham novel.

anthony bevalacca died one day after the bishop ruled the cardinal could be called to testify in an abuse trial of three priests. one a long-time aide. the timing of the cardinal's death strikes one district attorney as peculiar and wants to make sure nothing happened that is inappropriate. she describes the cardinal as a key witness in this case. first of all, the cardinal was 88 years old when he died. church officials say he suffered from dementia and cancer and he was buried without an autopsy. the coroners did take tissue and fluid samples from the cardinal and awaiting the results of toxicology tests. archdiocese officials say they understand the test would be done on a public figure and they hope this case can be concluded very quickly. >> unbelievable turn of events there. ann thompson, thanks as always. still ahead as we continue on a friday night, a nasty virus spreading tonight, making people

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and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ we are back with news about a virus so viral cruise ships have been forced to return to port early because so many passengers have become ill. you don't want this. they've been hit with the

norovirus, so common it's second only to the common cold in terms of numbers of people affected by the virus each year in the u.s., but we are seeing a spike in the number of outbreaks across the country. as we hear tonight from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: this seven-day cruise was anything but a pleasure. hundreds of sick passengers and crew members aboard the luxury crown princess were hit by a most unwelcomed party guest, the norovirus. >> it's been a nightmare. we lost two full days of our cruise. >> reporter: another ship "ruby princess" docked early after more than 100 of its passengers and crew became too ill to leave their cabins. >> captain came across and made a few announcements about there is a sickness on the ship. >> they didn't want us to touch anything that somebody else might touch. >> reporter: here is the norovirus under a microscope. it thrives in moist environments, and medical experts say it's easiest route of transmission, close quarters. >> because everyone is jammed up

so tightly together, it's so easy for that virus to spread one person to another. those people spread it to four others. those four spread it to 18 others. >> reporter: and it's not just cruise ships. in new jersey, more than 150 students contracted norovirus at rider and nearby princeton universities. dozens were taken to the hospital after being gripped by painful stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. both universities stepped up cleaning, scrubbing and sanitizing common areas like cafeteria and rest rooms, urging students to take precaution. >> it's important to do what we can to make sure it doesn't spread. that is by washing our hands and making sure that we sanitize and scrub the halls and the bathrooms and places where this could spread. >> reporter: norovirus is takenation. it thrives in hot and cold surfaces. it's unaffected by a lot of topical disinfectants accept those containing bleach.

antibiotics don't do a thing. on top of that, it's frightening because after you get better, you can still spread that virus to other people for up to two weeks. the best defense is an old-fashioned one, it comes down to washing your hands and sanitizing them over and over again. the basics, brian. especially for this one. >> as we say, you don't want this. >> reporter: you don't want this. >> dr. nancy, thank you. good to see you as always. up next tonight, the back story on an airline passenger who wasn't allowed to fly. [ male announcer ] this is coach parker...

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astrazeneca may be able to help. a spanish photographer on assignment for. "new york times" in yemen has been awarded photo of the year. it's an achingly poignant photo of a veiled woman holding a wounded relative in her arms during what would become arab spring. reminded some people today of a modernized version of michael anglo's "pieta."

it was chosen among 1,000 entries. who says pilots shouldn't have fun now and then it? sure looks like boeing test pilots did. when they were taking their new 787 dreamliner on a long distance shakedown cruise, our friends at the website "flight aware" alerted us to this. the boeing pilots flew a 19-hour nonstop mission. with the help of faa controllers, they flew over the country in a way that spelled out 787 and drew the booing logo over an eight-state area. well done, boeing test pilots. that's why they call it a dreamliner. anybody can just fly across the country. a denver woman says she was not allowed to board her united flight from wyoming to colorado because there was no female screener at the tsa checkpoint. she says she offered to sign a waiver that a male inspector was fine with her, but the tsa said no. that meant even though she had a ticket she couldn't fly.

that meant $160 for a rental car and 350-mile drive. the tsa countered by saying she was late, they called the flight, they disbanded the checkpoint and in effect, this woman passenger was out of luck. even though it's been a few days, the super bowl continues to makes news. it was one of the best football games in super bowl history, not to mention the world champion new york giants' stunning victory. it was also the most watched tv show of any kind for all time. it went down to the wire. it's estimated eight out of every ten tv sets in new york were tuned to the game. we now know new york fans held it in the whole time because water usage in the city of new york spiked 13% in those first moments after the game. the water level in a major reservoir north of the city actually decreased by two inches. the good news for madonna, there was a spike in water use at halftime, but it leveled off as soon as she took the stage. up next tonight, the best day of their lives.

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the anywhere preparation h. we are back and it's time for our friday night "making a difference" report. we try to focus as much

attention as possible on our returning veterans. tonight we have a genuinely heart warming story about how a community pulled together with just about everybody pitching in here to help with something, a wounded hero and his bride, to help them have the wedding of their dreams. the story tonight from nbc's kristen dahlgren. tonight's "making a difference on the home front" report. >> reporter: it was a dream wedding that took a nightmare to get here. >> i knew what was at the end of the aisle. i knew it was my husband again and the person i married the first time. >> reporter: that first wedding was quick, valentine's day 2010, a small courthouse before the marine left for afghanistan. >> he was the man of my dreams. that's for sure, but it definitely wasn't my dream wedding. >> reporter: debbie and jose vowed to have that dream wedding some day. that other vow, in sickness and in health, would soon be tested. an ied exploded while jose was

trying to rescue a fellow marine. debbie thought the worst. >> he said sit down. my heart just broke. >> reporter: he survived, but lost a leg and an eye. >> she was my eyes and she was doing everything. >> reporter: then their san diego community did something for them. >> for us to give to the wounded warriors who give to our nation. that meant a lot for us to be able to do that. >> reporter: retired marine pilot al ransom and his wife kathy donated the venue. others pitched in with hair and make-up, a deejay, a $50,000 wedding. with family friends and the other wounded warriors who have helped them through. >> i was looking down the aisle waiting for her to come. >> reporter: the groom who never thought he would be able to see. >> she is so beautiful. >> reporter: the bride who didn't know if her husband would stand. >> to see him there made me realize that we're going to be

okay. >> reporter: with enough love for their nation and each other, they say they would do it all again. thanks to the love of their community, they did kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. there you go. that's our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we, of course, hope you'll join us again monday night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night.